City University of New York
E-Mail authorRICHARD ALBA is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the Graduate and University Center of the City University of New York. His most recent book is the award-winning Remaking the American Mainstream (2003), which he co-authored with Victor Nee.

This introduction to the special issue lays out a framework for the articles to follow by outlining the ways in which the governance structures of education—from national authorities that set federal policy, down to individual schools and administrative practices—shape the opportunities open to children of immigrants. The authors outline some of the main features of educational governance and discuss their relevance to the education of immigrants. It concludes with an overview of the articles in the issue.